Yoel Zilberman, chief executive officer and founder of Shomer HaHadash, warned that criminal organizations have entrenched themselves deeply in the Negev and Galilee, exerting direct influence over Israel's economy, infrastructure, and personal security. He said that while the country focused on external conflicts, powerful criminal networks expanded internally, creating what he described as one of the lowest points of state control in those regions.

According to Zilberman, widespread theft of water, electricity, fuel, and other resources has imposed heavy financial burdens on citizens. He also pointed to thousands of drug greenhouses operating in military firing zones, calling it a multibillion industry sustained by stolen state resources. Extortion, he said, has become routine across industrial zones and major infrastructure projects, with protection payments often embedded into official tenders under the label of 'security.'

Zilberman described the situation as a 'state within a state,' claiming criminal groups now hold sway over key national infrastructure and possess hundreds of thousands of illegal weapons. He argued that the government lacks a coherent strategy, effectively accepting protection payments as unavoidable, while dedicated police forces remain overwhelmed by the scale of the problem.

Calling the situation catastrophic and worsening since the start of the war, Zilberman urged a national campaign to seize illegal weapons, dismantle extortion networks, and restore state authority, saying the goals are measurable and achievable with determined action.